GIVE FIRE AND FUME NO OPPORTUNITY

Everyone knows that fire kills. But did you know that most casualties are caused by the rapid spread of smoke and toxic fumes? About 70% of people affected by fire, suffer from smoke and fume inhalation. Smoke and fumes are dangerous because they reduce visibility, contain toxic substances and transmit heat. With at least 5,000 fire incidents occurring every day in Europe, fire safety in buildings is a major issue for society.

Smoke detectors, control devices and alarms are pertinent but cannot help to prevent the propagation of fire. FOAMGLAS® insulation can. The use of incombustible insulation material improves the fire safety of a building substantially. It does not produce toxic, hot fumes and can help to prevent the rapid spread of fire via the building envelope. Thus, occupants have more time to escape and firefighters have a better chance to save lives and to also save the building itself.

FIRE PROTECTION: OUR RESPONSIBILITY

Take a moment to consider all effects of a fire and the responsibility that the construction industry has to prevent this.

Due to the use of flammable materials, three minutes is all it takes for a fire to take over an entire room. Incombustible insulation can buy valuable time.

The price our firefighters pay

Fires can cause toxic smoke and fumes. 14 types of cancer affect firefighters more than the general public.

What is the impact on the environment?

After every fire, toxic smoke pollutes the air and toxic extinguishing water leaks into the soil and rivers. This causes pollution.

Responsibility for Health and Safety

Flashover

When organic materials are heated, they undergo thermal decomposition and release flammable gases, resulting in a full-blown fire. This may occur within 10 minutes of a fire starting.

Too many injuries

Toxic fumes may result in unconsciousness after just a few breaths. 70,000 people are hospitalised in Europe every year due to injuries caused by fire.

The danger of smoke and fumes

Rapid smoke formation reduces visibility, causes disorientation and breathing difficulties. In less than three minutes, affected people are in danger.

People deserve safe places

We spend 90% of our lives in buildings. Let’s make them fire safe. Especially high rise buildings, hospitals, schools, nursing facilities and all public places deserve extra attention.

Economical responsibility

Direct costs

€ 126 billion – the equivalent of 1% of European GDP – is spent on the effects of fire in Europe every year.

Consequential loss

Damage caused by smoke and extinguishing water, as well as the disposal of fire debris costs an enormous amount every year. Moreover, if the usability of the building, for production or other purposes, is jeopardized, the costs will increase even further.

Bankruptcy risk

Over 70% of companies affected by a fire disaster don’t survive in the following 3 years.

Loss of historic and culturally important buildings

After a fire, valuable architecture and historic buildings are often irretrievably lost.

An insulation material can offer much more than just thermal benefits. It can play a crucial role in the fire safety of a building and it can offer you peace of mind.

FOAMGLAS® INSULATION IMPROVES THE FIRE SAFETY OF THE ENTIRE BUILDING

For decades, our FOAMGLAS® insulation business has supported the use of non-combustible insulation within the global construction sector. While other materials that are present in buildings may contribute to the rapid spread of fire and release highly toxic fumes, FOAMGLAS® slabs comply with the most demanding European fire classification A1 and help contain the fire locally.

FOAMGLAS® slabs have a melting point of more than 1000 °C (cf DIN 4102-17, with thickness > 80 mm).

USE FOAMGLAS® NON-COMBUSTIBLE INSULATION

Melt Shield Effect

In the event of a fire, the FOAMGLAS® surface acts like a thermal shield by the so called melt shield effect. When exposed to flames the surface becomes “glazed” by the enormous heat and thereby forms a protective layer.

Melting point > 1,000 °C

The melting point test shows that after 90 minutes at over 1,000 °C, there is a considerable residue left. This confirms the outstanding protection offered by FOAMGLAS® cellular glass (DIN 4102-17 - thickness > 80 mm)

TESTIMONIAL NAUDERS CABLE CAR CENTER

The Nauders cable car centre in Austria was extended in the summer of 2015. Only a few weeks prior to the planned completion date, welding caused a fire in the roof area. Despite the rapid response of the fire service, large parts of the top floor were destroyed as a result of the fire. In this process, water also penetrated the basement where the ski store and tills were.

The areas with FOAMGLAS® interior insulation system prevented any damage due to the fire and water.

Experts attested after the audit: the complete built-up with FOAMGLAS® interior insulation system could be retained and the walls only required a new coat of paint. The compact, bonded FOAMGLAS insulation system protected the complete built-up effectively.

Damage was minimized, and cost savings resulted from the protection offered by the FOAMGLAS® insulation system.

Remarkable time savings: despite the fire and water damage during the construction of the building, the project was able to be completed on time, with the FOAMGLAS® Insulation Interior System contributing to this success.

MOVIES

Watch the architect’s and the investor’s testimonials on this fire case.